Q. I notice you sometimes include scientific names of animals in your columns. One time you identified a timber rattlesnake; another time, two turtles (an Alabama redbelly turtle and a stinkpot).

When did humans begin to assign names to each other? It’s a question that has occupied researchers for decades. What is clear, however, is how important consistent naming is in helping us to make ...

Sounds like spells from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, doesn’t it? While these words could come tumbling out of the mouths of Harry Potter and compatriots, wands waving majestically ...

Since the mid-1700s, researchers have classified life with scientific names. But some of them have problematic histories and connotations. The botanical community is trying to tackle this issue. Since ...

When strolling through a garden center or flipping through a plant catalog, you’ll often notice two distinct names on each tag: a common name and a botanical name. While the common name feels friendly ...

Even though tomatoes are a common ingredient in almost every type of food, their scientific name is hard to remember for both ...

Passiflora incarnata, Nymphaea odorata, Chamaecrista fasciculata, Asclepius incarnata! Sounds like spells from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, doesn’t it? While these words could come ...

In 2025, global gray wolf population is estimated at 200,000-250,000, stabilizing in some regions. Canis lupus is the scientific name for the Gray Wolf; Canis lupus familiaris for domestic dogs. Red ...